開 meaning and stroke order
To open; to start, to initiate, to begin
How to write 開, stroke by stroke
12 strokes in order. Each box adds the next stroke in red. Write top to bottom and left to right, and finish enclosing strokes last.
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Meaning of 開
Definitions from CC-CEDICT, grouped by pronunciation.
- to open (transitive or intransitive)
- (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start
- to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run
- to boil
- to write out (a prescription, check, invoice etc)
- (directional complement) away; off
How 開 is built
Phono-semantic (sound + meaning) character. Gate.
門 gives the meaning and 开 hints at the sound.
Radical: 門 (gate), shared by 42 characters on this site.
How to remember 開
開 (kāi) is a gate 門 (mén) with 开 inside. 门 gives the meaning of a gate and 开 gives the sound, so picture the two halves of a gate swinging open.
開 is the traditional form of 开 and appears in Taiwan, Hong Kong and older texts. It covers opening things, starting or running machines and vehicles, holding meetings, and writing out documents such as a prescription. Example: 請開門。(Qǐng kāi mén.) Please open the door.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 開 (kāi, open) and 關 (guān, close) because both sit inside 門. Look inside the gate: 開 holds the simple 开, and 關 holds a busier shape. Another mistake is reading the phonetic 开 as a separate character inside 開 instead of seeing the whole thing as one character.
Common words with 開
Ordered by HSK level, then by how often they appear in everyday Chinese.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 打開 | dǎkāi | to open; to show (a ticket) | HSK 1 |
| 開玩笑 | kāi wánxiào | to play a joke; to make fun of; to joke | HSK 1 |
| 開車 | kāichē | to drive a car (or train etc); (slang) to post sexual content online; to make a sexual jok | HSK 1 |
| 開會 | kāihuì | to hold or attend a meeting | HSK 1 |
| 離開 | líkāi | to depart; to leave | HSK 2 |
| 開心 | kāixīn | to feel happy; to rejoice | HSK 2 |
| 走開 | zǒukāi | to leave; to walk away; to beat it; to move aside | HSK 2 |
| 分開 | fēnkāi | to separate; to part | HSK 2 |
| 開學 | kāixué | (of a student) to start school; (of a semester) to begin | HSK 2 |
| 開機 | kāijī | to start an engine; to boot up (a computer) | HSK 2 |
| 開始 | kāishǐ | to begin; to start; beginning; start | HSK 3 |
| 公開 | gōngkāi | open; overt; public; to make public; to release | HSK 3 |
| 解開 | jiěkāi | to untie; to undo | HSK 3 |
| 展開 | zhǎnkāi | to unfold; to spread out; to open up; to launch; to carry out | HSK 3 |
Questions about 開
How many strokes are in 開?
開 is written with 12 strokes. The diagrams on this page number every stroke in the order it is written, with the new stroke shown in red.
What does 開 mean?
開 (kāi) means to open; to start, to initiate, to begin. A common word with it is 打开 (dǎkāi), meaning "to open; to show (a ticket)".
How do you pronounce 開?
開 is pronounced kāi, in the first tone (high and level).
What is the radical of 開?
The radical of 開 is 門, which carries the idea of "gate". Dictionaries list 開 under this radical.
What is the simplified form of 開?
開 is a traditional character. Its simplified form is 开, used in mainland China and Singapore.
Why does 開 mean to boil?
Water that boils is called 開水 (kāishuǐ), and 水開了 (shuǐ kāi le) means the water is boiling. This is one of the listed senses of 開, so you will hear it in everyday kitchen talk.
What does 開 mean after another verb, as in 走開 or 分開?
After a verb, 開 is a directional complement meaning away or apart. 走開 (zǒukāi) means to walk away, and 分開 (fēnkāi) means to separate.